As Costa struggles, Chelsea are crying out for an ‘Aguero’ or ‘Suarez’ type Striker

Another hugely disappointing and frustrating Premier League game for Chelsea once again yesterday see’s the club hovering directly above the relegation zone and Manager Mourinho’s job literally on it’s very last thread.

But yesterday to me highlighted a major problem that has not really been picked up on. The performances of Diego Costa. With two league goals to his name, reports of him being home sick, his constant desire to niggle at defenders and get involved in arguments and the fact he had also recently been dropped by his National side, are all factors in what is making me really consider whether he is the man needed or even good enough to lead the line at Chelsea any more?

Yes Costa did have a decent season last year and scored some vital goals, which is why perhaps we felt he was more than good enough. But when all is going good and the striker is scoring goals, you don’t really dive in to and analyse his performances. But yesterday and this season I have been doing just that. You have to remember that he arrived here being heavily critisised by his home nation and football fans in Spain did not overly rate him.

His positioning and general ball play contribution is quite frankly nothing more than terrible. Alan Shearer picked up on it last night on Match of The Day. There was and has been this season a large number of occasions where the striker has refused to play off the last man and instead come deep in to a tight position to receive the ball and ended up losing it as he has three men around him. He lacks a direction when he does get the ball, makes clumsy attempts to beat players and mostly ends up losing possession.

With the likes of Willian and Hazard looking to pass the ball around until that vital through ball becomes on, you need your striker to be prepared to make those runs in behind, Costa has not been doing that all year. He has not been getting in to dangerous positions where he would get goals. If he was a Sergio Aguero or a Luis Suarez for example, Chelsea would have won that game at Stoke yesterday by the first half, I am afraid that is the harsh reality here.

The team played excellent in the first 45 minutes and created a lot. It was crying out for a striker to get on the end of these chances and finish them off. Costa’s finishing has been terrible this season. The one chance he did get to shoot on goal he had the time and space to smash a drive, he instead tamely hit a shot low and pretty much directly at the keeper. Aguero would never miss an opportunity like that and would have placed it hard and high in to the top of the net as the keeper goes to ground.

Costa for me just is not doing it and is actually a major part of the clubs problems this season. When Remy came on you could see the difference, although he does not have the same powerful presence that Costa has, in the short time he was on the pitch he made these runs off the last man in behind and our creators thrived off it and on another day Remy would have gained a penalty and an equaliser from it.

I am afraid that Costa is too caught up in the controversy and drama, he seems too concerned on fighting with every player on the pitch rather than doing what he is paid a lot of money to do and score goals. Yes of course his aggression is a good asset, but it is the niggling little kick outs and squaring up to people that to me seems completely pointless and only adds to the negative drama that has already been created by our Manager this season and has seen the demise of our football club.

That’s it for now Blues, but follow my Twitter here for further posts and updates -> @cfcneteditor